Vanessa Traina Snow’s Borrowed-from-the-Boys Denim Secret Weapon

Vanessa Traina Snow—stylist and the very stylish cofounder of The Line, object of international fixation and Internet envy for her particular brand of effortless polish—has a secret weapon in her wardrobe. Well actually, it’s in her husband’s wardrobe. The husband in question is Max Snow, photographer and newly minted eponymous designer, whose own well-loved, straight-legged denim is just the thing Traina Snow turns to for a chic spin on the borrowed-from-the-boys trend. Not that it’s about a trend. “For me, it feels very classic to wear a uniform of a straight-leg men’s jean," the stylist told us over the phone from her New York City office, "and there’s no better men’s jean than an actual men’s jean." Traina Snow pairs her husband’s denim with her own classics like a black cashmere crewneck sweater or a white collared shirt, making any necessary (temporary!) adjustments with a belt or a safety pin, those most essential of lo-fi staples.

Any perfect partnership, be it matrimonial or sartorially based, requires a fundamental meeting of the minds, and when it comes to taste, Traina Snow and Snow understand each other totally. “He has the same approach to clothes as I do—it’s very much about the best of the basics, the essentials,” says Traina Snow. She speaks of Snow’s line with the same words she applies to her own closet: “It’s very classic—a great pair of jeans, great T-shirts, denim shirts—that approach.”

Which isn’t to say she raids Snow’s wardrobe daily; she has a highly covetable and famous aesthetic of her own to exercise, after all. She picks only sparingly from her husband: “I wouldn’t say that I wear men’s clothes in general—I just steal a few items from him,” says Traina Snow, adding, “I do wear a lot of his tailored shirts and denim.”

Which brings us to the denim in question: the Silver Lining jean, from Snow’s own label. They’re black, all cotton Japanese denim, named for a special lining said to protect the wearer from the electromagnetic radiation emitting from a pocketed cell phone. The jeans boast a slim, straight, neo-retro silhouette, that, Traina Snow proves, isn’t just for the boys. “It’s just a more classic cut, which is what I really like,” says Traina Snow. “In terms of denim, I’m a traditionalist. I’m not hip enough to wear all of the trends—I still wear my old Levi’s. I’m more drawn to a straighter, traditional fit, and men’s jeans are cut that way—they’re not stretchy or really tight.”

And as to the trepidation some women may feel about wandering over to the men’s department (or to the nearest closet of an acquiescing gentleman), it’s understandable, but according to Traina Snow, entirely surmountable. In fact, Traina Snow says, the perfect-fitting men’s jean won’t even read as such—it’s more subtle than you think, and certainly more so than your baggiest boyfriend jean. “My husband and I—there isn’t a huge difference in our sizes so I don’t think you can necessarily tell personally on me whether it’s a women’s jean or a men’s jean,” she says. “It ends up being a very discreet thing.” There is that one issue of the usual dropped crotch in men’s jeans that can get bulky and bunchy if worn too low or loose. Traina Snow’s solution: “I will belt it and paper-bag it and make it slightly higher.” So she’s not into the slouchy drop-crotch look? “No, I pull that up. Droopy crotch—we avoid that if possible.”

It’s not as if there’s only one denim designer in the couple—Traina Snow has had her own, very successful turn at tweaking classic denim, collaborating with 3x1 for a jean exclusive to her boutique, The Line: “I took a men’s style and adapted it for a woman.” Unfortunately, Snow can’t benefit directly from her creation as she does from his. “The sharing only goes one way,” she says. “He doesn’t dip into my wardrobe.” But still, the denim bond is strong. “It’s this comforting, kind of intimate thing to wear his clothes—it feels nice.” So, with both members of the Snow household enamored with this same pair of jeans, are there ever tensions or arguments over who gets to wear the pants that particular day? Traina Snow laughs. “There are enough pairs to go around.”